15. Boadilla del Camino to Terradillos de los Templarios 21/7/12

I woke up really early - just before 6am - and still found that some people had already left.  I went and sat outside and Skyped Jeff and we had a lovely hour chat.  One of the guys at the albergue brought me a coffee which was welcome as it was chilly sitting outside.   This albergue provided breakfast so had that and hit the track at 8.30.  It was still quite chilly.  I followed the Camino and bumped into people that I knew as usual and so the first 12 km took me nearly 2 hours to cover as I was going at the same pace as the walkers. 

It was a long and hot walk for the walkers on a long straight dirt road and I felt pleased I was on a bike.  I met some interesting people on that road though and I’ve seen a few of them since.  The most fascinating was Imelda from Irelend.  She said I could only tell you Mum her age and that I could put her photo on my blog but not her age so I’ll email you that – but she was a real treat.  She told me so many lovely stories – lots about love.  She had been a primary school teacher and never married and it’s amazing she is doing the whole Camino!  If it get’s too tough at the end of the day she gets a taxi – but she’s basically walked the whole lot so far.  She does tiny steps and just keeps going.  At one point she said in her lovely Irish accent ‘you know Rachael, I don’t know why I’m telling you all my most personal stories’ but I loved hearing them.

I met Martin, from Germany, and Hope (the bear he carries on his backpack) and Martin did half the Camino last year and is back to do the second half this year. He’s go the Camino shell tattooed on his leg. 

I was walking with Imelda for a couple of hours and in front was a lovely dad a young girl going about the same pace as us.  I’m not sure if they were doing the whole Camino as it was enough conversation, with our lack of common language, to ask them if it was okay that I put their photo on my blog. 

I had intended on stopping at a place called Ledigos for the night and pulled up at the only albergue in that town about 2pm.  It had a pub attached which I like and I hoped it had a garden.  As I lent my bike against the wall I noticed there were a lot of cigarette butts on the ground – which had obviously been there for more than one day.  It’s common to see Spanish people sweeping their front area clean so I hoped the inside wasn’t too dirty.  Inside the bar it was near impossible to get the barmaids attention, and their was a terrible soap being played loudly on the TV and the place looked horrible.  I stuck my head outside (as now the barmaid was on the phone) and there was a little garden but no shade).  Another pilgrim had entered the bar and we now both waiting for service.  The other pilgrim left and I thought ‘what a good idea’ and left too.  I caught up to her a few minutes later and not knowing if she spoke English or not but said – “that wasn’t a nice looking place” – and the reply in a thick Irish accent was “it was shithole”.  Her name was Anna so I cycled beside her for quite a while and we ended up both staying at the same place that night in a village called Terradillos de los Templarios – and as its as its name indicates it was the jurisdiction territory of the Templar Order. 

The albergue there was great. For 10 euro you got to have your own single bed – only 2 euro more than a bunk bed.  The meal together was fun and I ate with some lovely young Russian people.  The young woman was very direct and said to me 'if you are married, why is your husband not with you?'

This Spanish guy was great on the guitar

Imelda

It was only as I went past Imelda that I saw how old she was so walked with her to the next village

It was a long walk from one village to the next - about 13 km I think - and this was the only shade

It was great to be in a bed and not in a bunk

Dinner time

The signs we follow

Rest room stop

Martin's tattoo of the shell from the Camino

Martin and Hope 

The water fountain

This is the top of the water fountain - some are very ornate

The yellow ribbon on the side of my pannier is good as it blows out when I'm riding - so I figure it helps the cars to see me makes them take a wider berth

Some of the signs to follow are like this